


Almost there

by torileo



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: I literally do not know, M/M, attempt at fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:47:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23574103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/torileo/pseuds/torileo
Summary: Kohaku glances at Tsukasa and what he sees is the redhead already on his second doughnut, obviously enjoying himself with his eyes closed as he chews. It’s such a great scene he can’t stop the next words from spilling out of his mouth.“...With just me an’ ya, it almost feels like a date.”
Relationships: Kohaku Oukawa/Tsukasa Suou
Comments: 4
Kudos: 43





	Almost there

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I’ve been feeling a little depressed the past couple days so I decided to try and write something to lift my mood up. Needless to say I didn’t take this as seriously as I normally would, and it’s really short and I only skimmed through it like twice to try and make it better, but I’m sure there are mistakes so if you find anything horrendous please let me know. I will try to read and fix it all again tomorrow since it’s 4am but basically I just wanted to write something short and sweet between Tsukasa and Kohaku in a way that could connect to my last work since I might start a collection about all my KohaKasa works.
> 
> I didn’t really want to make this as angsty or complicated, I tried to include all the struggles of their family stuff but it’s totally not the focus so it might sound off since, again, I didn’t take it super seriously but I do hope someone out there will be able to appreciate it nonetheless ! ㅠㅠ

Tsukasa has changed a lot.

He has changed so much, and it’s both irritating and exhilarating, in a way. Because he’s not the same clumsy crybaby Kohaku remembers him being from their childhood, he’s grown more confident, assertive, definitely no longer a child and there’s something about that fact that makes Kohaku grow very interested in him. They were not as close as they used to be back then, what with the distance kept from the branch family to the main family, but Kohaku would like to think he knows Tsukasa. Or, rather, he _knew_ him, used to know him, in the past, the new person that stands in front of him is not really the same person, and although he’s changed completely, Kohaku can’t help but think Tsukasa is not that different, either. He doesn’t know why, but he can’t stop himself from recognizing the voice, the smiles, the way Tsukasa gets excited about the things he likes. It’s all so familiar, and at the same time, it’s not.

He was supposed to protect Tsukasa, wasn’t he? That’s the purpose of the Oukawas, the reason why the branch family was created, or something like that. He’s not really interested in those things very much, but even he knows there was a mission he was born for, and it’s something that has been knocked into his head for such a long time he can’t suddenly ignore it, even less when Tsukasa is as close as he is nowadays, it’s impossible to forget. But, Kohaku thinks, he doesn’t really look like he needs any protection now. If anything he seems to be doing very well on his own, and it sounds like he’s living a very fulfilling life if what he says during their Sweets Fanclub meetings is anything to go by. It’s somewhat frustrating, to find out that he’s not needed even here, and he tries, really tries, but Kohaku can’t even begin to feel upset at the boy, not when Tsukasa offers him nothing but kindness, no matter what kind of rough treatment Kohaku gives him. Harsh words go through Tsukasa’s head as if they mean nothing, and one time, when they meet, he even goes as far as to give his cousin his whole, untouched glass of parfait for no reason at all. It’s absurd, really, how nice the redhead can be, and sometimes Kohaku gets dangerously close to mistaking kindness for pity.

Kohaku repeatedly slaps his paddleball without a care in the world, looking at the repetitive motion the ball does, always going and then coming back, connected by a string it cannot possibly escape from. It’s a boring game to pass the time, yet he’s grown absurdly fond of it for reasons he can’t really grasp. Maybe there is something about the motion that soothes him, or maybe he’s just attached to the memories that wood racket holds within it. He smacks the ball a little harder as he remembers the last meeting with Tsukasa a week ago, it had started disastrous but thanks to the redhead’s patience Kohaku was still able to get what he wanted in the end. Sure, maybe he babbled a bit and ended up sharing a little too much information about, well, everything in his life, and he’s pretty sure he must have seriously annoyed Tsukasa at least three times, but his determination allowed him to get his reward: a confirmation that Tsukasa was still that same boy from years ago, who could not lie properly for the death of him, and who was still too kind for his own good.

Getting to be intimate with Tsukasa was just a bonus, for real, that had not been the objective at first. Kohaku crosses his legs under the cafeteria table.

He supposes it makes sense, people may change with time but sometimes they stay true to their essence, be it bad or good. Nobody is benevolent only for the sake of it, Kohaku is not so naive as to believe such thing, but if people who just want to help others be happy without asking for anything in exchange do exist, then Tsukasa sure is one of them. And after many years of being treated like an idiot, an ignorant child undeserving of any respect or decency... Kohaku almost feels at peace. He didn’t think meeting Tsukasa again would be _this_ impactful in his life, but then again he did not expect to be treated so gently despite his best attempts at being as difficult as possible, he did not expect the boy to have changed so much, and it’s not a bad thing in the slightest, in fact it’s so stupidly attractive Kohaku can’t stop himself from thinking about it every single day. Tsukasa might not necessarily need protection of any kind, he’s independent and smart and dependable, but that doesn’t mean Kohaku is going to give up, not at all. He has it bad for the redhead and he refuses to let it go when everything that happened last week is proof, proof that Tsukasa feels the same, even if he hasn’t fully realized it yet.

Licking his lips and tapping his free hand’s finger on his knee, Kohaku looks at the clock on the wall and realizes everyone is late for the meeting. Sweets Fanclub was supposed to meet today to try out a new type of milk pudding, something everyone had been looking very forward to, but it’s been twenty minutes and nobody has arrived but him. It’s understandable that he wouldn’t know the reason behind Mayoi Ayase’s absense, but Kohaku is from the same unit as HiMERU and he is pretty sure Crazy:B does not have anything scheduled for today, so he clicks his tongue in frustration. He can only pretend to not be bothered by everyone’s complete lack of commitment for so long, and even if he knows meetings between Circles are not mandatory people skipping them only serves to remind him of the fact his unit members are also hopeless when it comes to attending practice. It’s annoying, definitely, but he can’t really talk back to HiMERU in a situation like this and he’s already given up on Rinne ages ago, the only one left being Niki but the kitchen chef is not even close to fully invested in being an Idol so expecting him to take this seriously would be futile. Kohaku asks himself why is he even disappointed at this, sure nobody had ever skipped before but it was bound to happen eventually, no one has so much free time every week like he does. 

He decides to look out the window, supporting his cheek on his hand and pushing his paddleball into his pocket. The day is sunny and nice, only a few clouds in the sky, a perfect weather for ice cream and pudding.

The more he thinks about it, the more his pout grows. Fine, he’s disappointed, at the very least he expected Tsukasa to show up. He’s the Sweets Fanclub self-proclaimed leader, after all, and Kohaku really was looking forward to seeing and talking to him again, even if in front of two other guys who have absolutely no idea about what had happened between them. Kohaku huffs for what feels like the tenth time but he knows it’s just the third, and tries to think about something else to distract his mind. Technically, he could just get up and go back to his dorm room but Jun, his roommate, has had a friend over since the morning and Kohaku doesn’t remember ever meeting someone as noisy as the guy, not to mention he brought a dog with him, and Kohaku is not very good at dealing with animals. He wonders how is Jun taking care of everything by himself, but the blue haired boy assured him that the dorm would be clean and perfectly fine once he came back, so there’s not much room for theorizing, only for hoping that he won’t find any dog hair in his bed next morning. He trusts Jun seriously, but maybe next time he would like to be warned in advance before getting kicked out of his own dorm room.

The cafeteria door’s bell makes a sound and Kohaku snaps his head towards the entrance, a layer of hope in his face and a weird feeling of relief growing in the back of his mind as his eyes land on cherry red hair and violet eyes. Tsukasa Suou looks slightly breathless, carrying a paper box in his arms as he walks in the table’s direction with a confused look on his face.

“I apologize for my tardiness...” He starts, looking around and ultimately lifting a brow at Kohaku sitting all by himself. Kohaku only lifts one back, questioning the staring. “Kohakun... Where is everyone?”

Under all the confusion there’s obvious disappointment in Tsukasa’s voice when he says that, and it makes Kohaku feel as if something is squishing his heart. It’s not like he can lie to make Tsukasa feel better- he doesn’t even know what he could come up with anyway- but somehow he doesn’t want to be blunt as he normally would either, even if the redhead is already used to this treatment from him.

“...’Dunno. They haven’t arrived yet.” He says and Tsukasa looks down at the box in his arms with a half frown. Kohaku automatically rushes to try and remedy the situation. Emphasis on _try_. “But, hey, at least I’m here, ‘ight?”

“Yes.” And Tsukasa looks up again with a smile, it’s a bit forced but there is a hint of sincerity there too so Kohaku is satisfied. The box is placed on the desk between them when Tsukasa sits down. “Thank you for attending, Kohakun. Today we were supposed to be trying a new milk pudding, I am sure you saw my message in our LINE groupchat, but I took the liberty of bringing something extra for us. As a little treat, if you will.”

Kohaku holds himself back from pointing out that ‘us’ in this case means only the both of them, but Tsukasa doesn’t seem to notice it, too engrossed in his task of carefully opening the box. It takes a couple seconds but soon enough the lid is removed, revealing two rows of four colorful doughnuts, definitely homebaked although Kohaku doubts Tsukasa has anything to do with it, surely he must have asked his family’s chef for it or something similar, but the undeniable truth is that all of them look absolutely delicious. He feels drool pool inside his mouth at the sight in front of him, mind blank if not for the thought of sweet, sweet sugar and calories; appreciating food that could give you diabetes is a trait shared between both branch and main family, it seems. Kohaku lifts his hand to reach and take one of the doughnuts but Tsukasa stops him with a firm slap.

“Kohakun, no! First of all you didn’t even ask, second we should wait and see if anyone else is arriving before we start. Trust me, I want to try them as much as you do, but it would be impolite to not at least give the others a couple minutes to arrive before we deem it a lost cause.” For Tsukasa to hold himself back he must really have wanted to share them with everyone, and even though it’s been half an hour now and Kohaku knows nobody is coming, he still retracts his hand with a pout, crossing his arms in front of his chest and avoiding looking at the box lest he fall in any sugary temptation. 

Kohaku’s heart still feels heavy for the situation, if only the others had picked a different day to skip he wouldn’t have to feel this bad. Ten minutes pass and Tsukasa almost looks like a kicked puppy, even rejecting the menu when one of the waiters offers it to him after bringing their drinks, it’s such a sad scene that Kohaku has to stop himself from pitying him. Tsukasa doesn’t need pity, none of them do and he’s sure of that, but with his limited social skills he has no idea what he can do or say to make his cousin feel better, comforting people has always been kind of a puzzle even more when his only experiences had been with Niki whom he can just bribe with food, and with Jun who gets clingy after he has nightmares which happens more often than one would think. But those are not near enough and Kohaku doesn’t want to mess this up, an unfamiliar feeling of fear bubbling up in his chest when he thinks of Tsukasa getting even more upset by something _he_ did himself. Normally he couldn’t care less about what people think of him, but this is someone special, someone dear, and although he has accepted his feelings a long time ago it still feels scary whenever he walks into unknown territory like this.

It’s only when the clock marks one hour after the meeting was supposed to start that Kohaku makes up his mind, turning back to Tsukasa who is still looking down at his hands with a vague expression on his face. Kohaku bumps his shoes against Tsukasa’s under the table with a little more force than he calculated, and the redhead squeals before finally looking up at him, his expression morphing into one of surprise plus furrowed brows, but Kohaku doesn’t let him ask any questions and only dives into the box for the doughnut he judges the most colorful- a pink one with rainbow sprinkles-, pushing it in Tsukasa’s direction right after.

“They’re not comin’, so we can start. C’mon, ya will feel better after ya eat, too. Sugar ‘s good for the brain, yanno? B’sides, ‘s their loss, but it gives ya an excuse to bring more again next time we all meet.” He considers it a small victory when Tsukasa eyes the doughnut being offered to him, taking it after a couple seconds and bringing it to his lips. The filling turns out to be chocolate as Kohaku can confirm by the drop that remains on Tsukasa’s lips even after he’s done taking his first and second bite, and he smiles.

“Ah! It’s... **Marvelous**!” Tsukasa exclaims in his perfect English pronunciation, and although Kohaku has no idea what the word means he still finds it terribly endearing. Finally his day is graced by a genuine smile from the boy he admires, and if he knew it would have been this easy he would have done this way sooner. “Hm. You are right, though, it is a huge loss for the other members. Surely they would have enjoyed to share this moment, but it can’t be helped. Normally I would not indulge in an act of selfishness like this, but I shall allow myself to have more than two of these **delicious** doughnuts today.”

“Kokkokko! Yeah, yeah, tha’s right, so don’t be stupid and quit worryin’.” Kohaku says with a smile, glad Tsukasa decided not to mention the accidental kick thing, and he takes one of the doughnuts for himself- a green one that he hopes is matcha flavored. He quietly hums when he bites into it, finding his previous thought to be correct and he becomes fully immersed in the flavor. It’s really good and certainly it was baked on that same day, the filling soft and pleasant to the tongue, and he mentally thanks Tsukasa for the great idea to bring them here, a small piece of his mind also sending a thanks to the other two members who didn’t come. Sure, Kohaku feels bad that Tsukasa got upset they would not be able to share with everyone else, but he’s way past the point of caring about being selfish and he’s not going to deny the fact he enjoys being alone with Tsukasa way more. He glances at his cousin and what he sees is the redhead already on his second doughnut, obviously enjoying himself with his eyes closed as he chews. It’s such a great scene he can’t stop the next words from spilling out of his mouth. “...With just me an’ ya, it almost feels like a date.”

Tsukasa stops chewing at those words, blinking slowly while looking at Kohaku, with the doughnut still touching his lips. He doesn’t say anything for some long seconds, probably still processing the words in his mind, ever the over-thinker, but Kohaku doesn’t regret his words in the slightest. It’s true, it feels like a date and he doesn’t dislike it. He finishes the treat in his hands before Tsukasa says anything at all and that’s when he decides he’s had enough of waiting, taking the food from Tsukasa’s hands and pushing it into his own mouth, completely ignoring the beyond offended look the other boy sends him.

“Hey! That was mine!” Tsukasa finally reacts, frowning with red cheeks. He tries to reach for the box but this time it’s Kohaku who slaps his hand before he can do it. “Kohakun! First you kick me under the table, and now this? I do not understand at all!”

“Dumbass.” Kohaku sticks his tongue out at Tsukasa, but there’s no real malice behind the insult. He grabs a napkin and reaches over the table to clean the powdered sugar on Tsukasa’s cheeks, the redhead doesn’t stop him from doing so. “Can’t ya see yer makin’ a mess? Right when I was thinkin’ ya looked almost cool all grown up, ya go back to bein’ that clumsy kid from years ago... Seriously, make up yer mind.”

The confession comes naturally, the words sincere even if Kohaku says them with a perfectly straight face. Tsukasa doesn’t react, not immediately, waiting for the boy to finish his task, but soon enough he takes hold of Kohaku’s wrist pulling him closer over the table so they can stare into each other’s eyes more closely. His expression is a serious one as well, but Kohaku doesn’t enjoy being grabbed so suddenly so he pulls his wrist back and sits down again with a click of his tongue. He doesn’t break the eye contact, but he can’t stop his mind from thinking what spurred that reaction, certainly it was not his movements as he doubts something like that would have upset Tsukasa, but it’s a mystery that he can’t really solve no matter how much he tries to read the violet eyes in front of him. After a few seconds of awkward silence and staring Tsukasa sighs, being the first one to break the moment.

“I apologize for my outburst, and for my momentary lack of manners. But I assure you I can take care of myself.” He fake coughs into his hand, his cheeks growing redder by the second for reasons Kohaku can’t even begin to understand, but the face Tsukasa is making definitely gives him a sense of pride and excitement. “Well, ah, about the thing you said... What exactly makes this feel like a date for you?”

The question catches him off guard, and Kohaku smirks despite his growing blush. He brings his cup of soda to his lips and takes a sip before answering. “‘Cus ‘s just like on TV, the nice polite guy takes the beautiful lady out to eat sweets together, and they hold hands and do all that kind of stuff. Yer not holdin’ my hand, and I sure ain’t a beautiful lady, but that’s why I said it _almost_ felt like a date.”

“I suppose that’s a way to describe a date.” But Kohaku is sure there’s more to it than that, so he waits for Tsukasa to finish drinking his tea and choosing another doughnut from the box. He picks up the second matcha flavored one and lifts it up to Kohaku’s lips. The smirk on his face disappears, the motion makes something bubble up in his chest, and he is thrown back to the moment last week when Tsukasa found out he had fallen from that chair and hurried to help him. Logically, he knows he’s misinterpreting the situation, but can he really trust that? Or is he just trying to convince himself he can trust his own judgement because he wants to give Tsukasa the benefit of doubt so badly? Is he really this desperate for another confirmation that his cousin doesn’t look at him like everyone else does?

“Are ya makin’ fun of me?” Kohaku says, and the words come out sounding way more accusing than he meant for them to be, but that doesn’t matter to him as he watches Tsukasa sigh, retracting his hand ever so slightly.

“Is it really that hard to believe I am trying to be nice? Didn’t I tell you last time? I have no reason to lie to you, and you even said it yourself. After all, I am terribly honest, right?” He tries again, lifting the treat to Kohaku’s lips once more and this time Kohaku doesn’t back away from it, but he doesn’t let himself be fed either, taking the doughnut offered to him in his own hand and taking a bite. Tsukasa smiles. “And, last time I promised I would repay you next time we met. So, here’s a little extra knowledge about dates. People usually do cute things such as feeding each other, I am not completely familiar with the concept as a whole but I _do_ have some experience. I would like to show you, if you will allow me.”

As much as there’s still a few doubts inside of him, the speech makes all the blood run to Kohaku’s cheeks and he focuses all his attention on chewing. Tsukasa also doesn’t say anything more, giving him his time to think while refilling their cups. In the meantime Kohaku digests all of it, the opportunity being presented in front of him, the implicit message in Tsukasa’s words, the growing feeling of warmth that has suddenly replaced the discomfort from before. He doesn’t like being put in situations where he feels inferior, but after a little thinking he realizes the thing he’s feeling is not exactly anger, and Tsukasa is not looking down to him, but it’s something very similar to how he felt last week, too, so it can’t be something negative. Kohaku blinks slowly before facing Tsukasa again.

“Are ya tryin’ to say ya want this to be a date too?” He doesn’t know why, but his voice comes off as weirdly hopeful when he avoids eye contact.

“What I’m trying to say is... Well, I have been thinking about this for the past week, but I have come to the conclusion that I do not mind it. You, liking me, I mean. If you want this to be a date, then... I shall act accordingly.” The smile on Tsukasa’s face is a sheepish one as he reaches to take Kohaku’s hand in his over the table. Kohaku’s mind unhelpfully notes how soft the hold feels which makes his heart skip a beat. “Ah, please do not misunderstand! I did not plan for this to happen! My reaction upon finding out everyone else had skipped the meeting was genuine! But, er, as I said, it can’t be helped! So—“

Kohaku feels himself laugh at the sudden blabbering, truly laugh, but he doesn’t blame Tsukasa for worrying after all it would indeed be a suspicious situation if it were anyone else, but despite all his doubts about the boy Kohaku doesn’t think he would go this far to plan a situation where the both of them end up having to share a doughnuts box all by themselves, much less when the situation also includes some kind of ambiguous confession. Tsukasa might not have said he liked him will all the words, but Kohaku decides he will take it. He gets up from his seat and circles the table, pushing Tsukasa into the corner and claiming the seat beside him as his new home.

“I really don’ care about any of that.” Kohaku brings their still connected hands to his lips, kissing Tsukasa’s knuckles tenderly while maintaining eye contact. He smirks at the obvious blush on the redhead’s cheeks, suddenly feeling very hungry for something other than sugar. Although he can’t deny the thing he craves is just as sweet. “So ya don’t mind goin’ out with me, eh? Only hearin’ that is not enough to make me satisfied. But don’t think yer goin’ to be the one who gets to decide how things go.”

The look of determination in Tsukasa’s eyes at the words is unmistakable, but so is the challenging smile on his lips, and the doughnuts box grows completely forgotten once Kohaku slowly pushes Tsukasa until his back hits the wall on the corner of their seat. It’s a good thing that the cafe is empty save for three waiters who honestly don’t look interested in whatever the both of them are doing, but it’s not like Kohaku would stop even if that weren’t the case; he has absolutely no problem with kissing Tsukasa in public spaces and he makes it very clear by doing exactly just that. The redhead’s lips still taste too much like overly-sweet tea and chocolate, but Kohaku definitely doesn’t mind it and if anything it gives the kiss a whole new feeling like this is something that belongs solely to the both of them, and as the moment progresses he does his best to remember how Tsukasa had done it last week when he took the lead, imitating it to the best of his abilities. It’s not that he doesn’t like his own style, he never saw a problem with rushing things up a little, but Tsukasa did seem to enjoy kissing a lot more when it was done like this so Kohaku aims to surprise and impress him. He places his hands on Tsukasa’s shoulders and hums a noise of satisfaction when he feels the other boy move to surround his waist and pull him closer. With each second that passes he grows more into it and he asks himself if he’s once again escalating things too quickly, but Tsukasa interrupts Kohaku’s thoughts by sucking on his lower lip for a split moment before pushing him back a little and breaking the kiss.

“I didn’t think you’d jump straight into this.” Tsukasa confesses, slightly breathless but not looking unsatisfied at all. He separates Kohaku’s hand from his shoulders and holds onto them instead, adjusting his sitting position and smiling. “But I understand that’s just how you are. However, it would really be a shame if we let the food go to waste because we became distracted by other things.”

“We can pack ‘em up for later, there’s only three left anyway. B’sides, I ain’t hungry anymore.” Kohaku doesn’t give up, clinging to Tsukasa despite the complaints. He pulls Tsukasa closer and pushes his face deep into the boy’s shoulder, reaching to place a short kiss behind his ear. “C’mon, let’s take ‘em back to yer dorm room and then we won’t have to worry ‘bout anythin’ at all.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you seriously worried about consequences of your actions yet...” Tsukasa sighs, but he doesn’t try to push Kohaku away and actually moves his hand to pet the pink hair tickling his neck. He learns yet again that Kohaku can be incredibly convincing when he wants to be. “Okay. I guess there’s not a real reason for us to cut our... date, so short. But! My dorm room isn’t an option! So you will need to get a little more creative than that. Didn’t you say I wouldn’t be the one deciding how things go?”

“Imma think of somethin’. Mm, anywhere ‘s fine as long as I can do everythin’ I’m thinking of now...”

“That’s not reassuring in the slightest! And at least finish your can of soda before starting to say such shameless things!”

Tsukasa squeals, and it’s a sound Kohaku realizes he’s starting to grow attached to. He laughs, then, but when he looks up at the redhead’s pink cheeks and embarrassed expression he thinks that maybe Tsukasa’s squeals are not the only thing he’s growing attached to, and as much as there’s a voice in the back of his mind screaming that he shouldn’t allow himself to indulge in this so easily, he can’t help but ignore it for some moments in favor of focusing on Tsukasa a little more. He is beautiful, caring, responsible, maybe a bit too much of an idiot, and honestly sometimes an airhead, but yet he makes Kohaku feel things he’s never felt before. And Kohaku may not get rid of his insecurities any time soon, and he will surely keep being as difficult as possible whenever he wants to, but all in all he feels like it might be worth it to keep trying a little harder. His thoughts don’t change when the both of them walk out of the cafe together, Tsukasa carrying the mostly empty doughnuts box in one of his arms, and Kohaku doesn’t feel any fear or suspicion when he notices a hand reaching for his own in a way that he’s sure Tsukasa thinks is subtle, but is not at all. He smiles to himself and interlaces their fingers together as they walk.

Sure, Tsukasa has changed a lot. But... That’s not really a bad thing, is it?

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you very much for reading! English is not my mother language but I hope you liked it!
> 
> The ending is a little rushed since I was starting to get very into this story, but I had to force myself to stop because I didn’t want to end up with 15k words, so I apologize about that! The author bows his head and hopes his readers are happy.~


End file.
